It’s puzzling, watching the mindlessness in the way people drive, or walk through life. It’s like they live on another planet and are unaware of what is going on around them. We’ve all heard the stories: People who step in front of traffic or move their car into another lane, right into the path of another car.
I made this observation to a friend and she exclaimed, “They aren’t in their bodies!”. Meaning that they aren’t grounded. It is as if they walk through life according to the old Star Trek TV series, “Beam me up, Scottie!”. Sometimes we might say that someone is “spaced out”, or a “real space cadet”, or “scattered”.
Then I realized that this is the most common situation for which I provide information in our sessions – learning how to ground. It also comes up in counseling and therapy sessions. So many people have no idea what “grounding” even means.
Clarify Grounding, Please
So, let’s start with that. Just what does it mean? Dictionary.com defines it as “firm or solid ground”. Another definition states “having a solid foundation in a subject”. If that is applied to our topic, we could say that grounding refers to a person who “has their feet on the ground”, aware of their surroundings, mindful of their place in the world, and not easily swayed by the opinions of others and assured of their own direction or purpose.
That sounds ideal, doesn’t it? Think of the confidence and self-assurance it would bring to a person’s life! And then the anxiety and depression go down. So much easier to focus and decide next steps, with a healthy perspective on success and failure.
However, as you may have surmised, many people are not grounded. They are swayed and dismayed by the slightest breeze, lacking in resilience, and easily sucked into the next whirlpool of confusion.
How To Get There
Really, grounding is not hard. And perhaps you can see the benefits in doing so. Here are some suggestions:
- Relax and use your best technique for focus. For some, that may be visualization, or thought-forming, or vocalizing your intent, or a combination.
- Tree Method: If you are able to visualize, see yourself as a tree. The roots reach into the earth from the bottom of your feet. Your leaves and branches reach up into the heavens. You share energy with the earth and also with the heavens – or perhaps you would say the sky.
- It’s that simple! If the winds get high, you are able to stay rooted into the earth. You can sway with the winds of change.
- Beach Method: Another visual is to see yourself on a beach. You are standing at the edge of the surf and watching the waves roll toward you. When those waves seem overwhelming, you may feel afraid that they will sweep you out to sea. So many times, that is what happens with our feelings &/or situations in our lives.
- With this technique, when you see the wave coming at you, you can go to your visualization of yourself as a tree, rooted into the earth, and allow the wave to sweep over you and then roll gently back out to sea. What you will find is that the more often you are able to do this, the longer time between waves. Then you are able to deal with life’s challenges in healthy ways.
- Go Outside: Another grounding technique is to go out into nature, find a tree, and either sit on the ground at its base or stand, and place your spine along the trunk. Then close your eyes, breathe slowly and deeply, and empty your mind. It’s like you become part of the tree. Really cool. Sometimes you can even feel the energy moving through the tree. Just don’t do so for more than a couple of minutes, since otherwise you can come away feeling light-headed.
- Walk Like Kung Fu: One common and easy suggestion is to walk barefoot on the earth. Many people are fans of wearing shoes with leather soles, since soles on most all of our shoes are rubber and stop the flow of natural earth energy into our bodies. And just think of how relaxing it is to lay in the grass!
- Stone Wear: Black and brown rocks and stones are good for grounding. They hold energy and frequency just like everything else. Wearing them in your pocket, or in a necklace or ankle bracelet, is an excellent way to ground. Just make sure to cleanse them occasionally because they also absorb our energy and can get congested.
- Oil for the Feet: Essential oils also have their own energy and frequency. Rubbing them on the bottom of your feet before sleep is very soothing and grounding. Try any of the wood oils that appeal to you, like Balsam Fir, or a blend, such as Valor or Grounding in the Young Living line.
All of these suggestions are easy ways to ground and realize our place on the earth. It helps us see our lives in a new way, what I call “shifting perspective”. Find which ones works best for you. Figure out other ways to ground. It would be awesome if you would share them with us.
Susan
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